Information and broadcasting Minister Mwansa Kapeya has said the consultants engaged to review the Access To Information Bill (ATI) had completed their work and forwarded their report to the ministry for revision.
He said technocrats in his ministry were currently studying the report and would conclude the exercise within the course of this week, after which the report would be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for consideration and advice.
Government recently postponed the presentation of the ATI Bill to Parliament after realising that the document was in conflict with some existing pieces of legislation.
The minister also announced that Government had decided to give public media institutions money from the budgetary allocation in the 2014 National Budget to help the firms address the challenges they were facing.
He said the Government had allocated K560, 000 to Times Printpak, K360, 000 to the Zambia Daily Mail, K360, 000 to Zambia Printing Company, while the Zambia Institute of Mass Communications would receive K460, 000.
“We are aware that this is not enough, considering the longstanding financial challenges faced by these institutions, but the intervention represents Government’s commitment to ensuring the public media institutions are helped financially in order for them to serve the Zambian people better,” he said.
I tell you what, the country does not need the Access to Information Bill. This would risk the security of the nation! How many countries in world have unrestricted access to information? Mind you, ‘information’ may include govt or state secrets!!
@St Jude. I suppose by ‘state secrets’ you mean Corruption by Government Officials?
Even if it is KR, the amounts given to the public media is a drop in the ocean, if the stories we heard about their financial crises was anything to go by – unless it is meant for christmas parties only!